GGU remembers Drucilla Ramey, former dean of the School of Law

SAN FRANCISCO – Golden Gate University mourns the loss of Drucilla “Dru” Stender Ramey, former dean of the GGU School of Law and a longtime member of its faculty. She passed away on August 3, 2026, at age 80.

Ramey’s connection to GGU spanned decades. She taught at the School of Law from 1978 to 1985 and returned in August 2009 to lead it as dean, drawing on years of experience directing regional and national legal organizations. She served as dean through July 2012, then continued on the faculty until her departure in the summer of 2014.

“Dru Ramey was an icon within the organized bar, both in California and nationwide. I knew her well, and I cannot say enough good things about her extraordinary and extensive record of service. For several decades, she was an activist and a mentor who worked to improve the legal profession and, in particular, to expand access and opportunity for women and minorities in the law. In addition to her enduring work as executive director of the Bar Association of San Francisco, she served with distinction as dean of Golden Gate University School of Law. Our GGU legal community joins in paying tribute to her achievements as a leader and her qualities as a person. There was no one like Dru, and she will be sorely missed by us all,” said Diane Yu, dean of the GGU School of Law.

A graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, Ramey began her career as a civil rights litigator at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). There she handled education and employment discrimination cases and directed the organization’s Chicana Rights Project. She later returned to MALDEF as a member of its Board of Directors from 1995 to 1998.

Ramey served as executive director and general counsel of the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) from 1985 to 2002. During her tenure, she helped launch the Homeless Advocacy Project, which continues to serve San Francisco residents today. She also led a hiring and advancement initiative for women and attorneys of color that more than 100 San Francisco legal employers adopted.

From 2005 through 2008, Ramey served as executive director of the National Association of Women Judges.

Throughout her career, Ramey helped build organizations that expanded access to justice. She had a hand in establishing the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the California Minority Counsel Program, and she co-founded California Women Lawyers. She was also the first woman to chair the board of the ACLU of Northern California, and she became chair of the Equal Rights Advocates board in 2017.

In 1997, the American Bar Association honored Ramey with the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. Her other recognitions included the American Jewish Committee’s Learned Hand Award and the National Bar Association’s Wiley Branton Award.

Colleagues across the Bay Area legal community recall Ramey as a generous mentor who regularly met with lawyers seeking career guidance. Many also remember the distinctive hats she wore to bar events and community gatherings. In 2021, Equal Rights Advocates created the Ramey Gender Justice Award, named in honor of Ramey, her mother, Estelle Ramey, and her daughter, Jessica.

Ramey is survived by her daughter, Jessica Ramey Stender, and her grandson.